Listen closely, for the stars are speaking. Dream on, dreamer, for the stars are watching. Have courage, Sweetie Belle. Have sincerity, have determination and most importantly, have forgiveness, for the stars are listening.
"I'm just trying to find what's important."
Sweetie Belle wakes up after a bad night to find herself in a strange new world. Lost and confused, she journeys to find a way back to Equestria, back to her family and friends, never knowing where she might go, what strange creatures she might meet, or what her purpose in this world was.
There's something you should know about the stars.
Now, you're probably wondering why I'm telling this to you. Why you should know whatever it is that you should know about the stars. It's kinda important. Somewhat. Well, not exactly important to you, but if you're to understand everything that's happening, if you want to know why I'm off on this journey, then you should know about the stars. Actually, thinking about it, to sum all my lessons, trials and tribulations up, it was all about the stars.
It began with a star and ended with a star.
Thinking about it, that's actually the fastest way I could finish this story. It began with a star and ended with a star... that's pretty much it, I guess. That's my journey, in a nutshell. Then again, it would also be the most boring, so I won't be going with that, because we both know that this journey has far, far more to it than just the stars. You know what, lemme just try this again...
There's something you should know about the stars.
Why, you might ask? What should I know about the stars?
Simple.
The stars are there, in the night sky.
Before you come and tell me off about how great my observation was, let me explain.
We do quite a lot of things with the stars: we wish upon them, we chart them like explorers with a map, but most important of all, we look at them. We all look at the stars from time to time, some of us more often than others. We gaze at them, wondering why they're there, what they're doing there, and we would spend the next day with it at the back of our heads only to be brought up when we look up in the night sky once again. What many of us don't know is that when you look at them long enough, you'll find that those stars are looking right back at you, and when they realized that they caught your eye, they then tell you things — many strange, wonderful things — and if you listen hard enough, you'll learn things that you never knew you would learn. Then, after learning so much about them, you will learn to talk to them. And when you learn how to talk to them, they will learn to listen, but that's really a common misconception.
The stars are always listening.
Always had, always will.
They listen to the brightest of experiences; to the darkest of secrets; to the blackest of truth; to the whitest of lies. They listen to words of happiness, sadness, anger and fear. They listen to secrets that you never told anyone else, advice that you could never give, memories you could never forget. They listen to voices old and new, dead and alive, and though you had never, ever spare a passing thought about it, they listen to you as well.
The stars — the same ones you see when you head outside and gaze upon the night sky — are listening.
That is one thing you must know.
The stars are listening, and they are listening very closely.
Now, onto the other thing.
My name is Sweetie Belle. You've probably heard of me before, being a Cutie Mark Crusader and all, alongside my friends Apple Bloom, Scootaloo and Babs Seed. I'm in my late twenties or so and had lived in this small but wonderful town called Ponyville ever since I was born. If that doesn't ring a bell — Haha! Bell. — maybe you've heard of my sister Rarity, who's kind of a household name in the world of fashion and couture. My sis worked hard to reach where she was and you should also know that I did too. Just wanna get that out of the way.
Of course, where my sister finds her passion in dresses and boutiques, I find mine in the complex simplicity of music. I'm kind of a popular-ish singer. Nothing close to Sapphire Shores or Coloratura though. Sure, had an album or two out with a few hit singles, something like that, not that I'm trying to brag or anything. I'm also kinda married to one of my old friends— I think some of you might know him as Button Mash. I'll admit, he wasn't my first choice to be with — I even blacklisted him at some point back when I was young — but he just... he made things work. Somehow. And it worked well. Somehow.
We have a really healthy relationship, Button and I. Even had some children together as well— we have two sons, Chipper and Quicksilver, who can be really energetic and funny at times, just like their father, and a daughter, Pixie, who was our youngest child and was a lot quieter compared to her brothers. They were my pride and joy, my three kids, and I would never trade them for anything else.
And... I think that's it.
Hi there!
Alright, now that you know a bit about little old me, who I was and where I had came from, and also that bit about the stars, it's time you should know where I'm going.
Pleasant. Maybe a little warmer than I'd like, maybe, but... it's pleasant. The coast was a smooth, white plain, gently shaped and caressed by the rolling tides. A gentle wind was blowing across my mane, bringing with it a cooling sense of comfort as I faced the searing rays of the summer sun on the edge of a slope. I stood where the grass was tall enough to stroke the hairs on my sides, just one step away from the border leading into the sands. My eyes drifted into the distance where the ocean ended, the endless azure spectacle shimmering in the gentle sunlight. I didn't know why I was staring at it, but I just did. For some reason, it brought me peace. Nothing else, just... peace.
I hear laughter. Coming from the shoreline, it was hearty and hefty with pride, the sound of which made me smile. My husband, Button Mash, was here, playing with the children. Chipper was the one with the brown mane building sandcastles, his pale sapphire hooves molding his creation little by little until it towered over the coast and looked down upon the remnants of previous palaces, not knowing that it too will face its eventual downfall at the arrival of the high tide. Quicksilver had fashioned his gray mane to look like a shark while wading across the water, flailing his mulberry hooves around like a happy-go-lucky seal and wreaking havoc to his brother's construction site whenever he could with his splashes. Fortunately for Chipper, my dear Button was defending his creation by challenging Quicksilver into an aquatic battle. Knowing both of them, it would be another long one.
Then there was my dear daughter, Pixie.
Being quiet and reserved, kinda like how Aunt Fluttershy would be, Pixie was a stark contrast to her brothers and spent her time on the beach delicately collecting seashells. She gently picks them up with her magic and puts them all into this little pink pail Button got for her for her birthday. Sometimes, she'd get so engrossed in that little hobby that she would stray pretty far away from the rest of us and making Button panic. I, on the other hoof, wouldn't be so worried. If anything, she's a smart filly, as my sister and Princess Twilight told me. She would know when far becomes too far.
I'm more worried about the fact that she may be a little bit too smart for her own good.
My lovely little Pixie was the only one who noticed me on the slope, happily waving her pail at me, as if inviting me to join in, as if I needed the invitation. Before I could even finish putting up my smile, I quickly galloped to join them, to join my family; to be a companion to Button Mash's battles in the ocean; to protect and prosper alongside Chipper and his palace; to splash about in the ocean alongside Quicksilver; to aid my dear Pixie in her ambitious conquest to be the owner the largest collection of shells in all of Equestria.
That's where the dream ended.
It always, always ended there.
Right before I could join my family.
Right before I could join my lovely little family.
Right before that.
All I could ask was why? Why did it stop there? Why did it end there? Why did it end when I was so close, so very close, to being with them? To be with my loving husband Button Mash, my cheerful sons Chipper and Quicksilver, and my darling Pixie? My little, lovely Pixie? What did I do to deserve that, I remembered asking myself every time I woke up. What did I do?
"What did I do?"
I had a nightmare about a beach.
Somewhat pleasant. A little too warm, but that's how beaches often are.
All I did was stand and stare into the horizon.
That was it.
Nothing else.
It was one of the worst nightmares I ever had. Yes, I know it's not anything like being chased by Timberwolves, being pushed into volcanoes or eaten by spiders or whatever, but I... I don't know, I just never felt more lost, more hopeless, more... useless... more alone... I just felt like nothing was there to comfort me, like there was no shoulder for me to lean on. My family was there on the beach, I think, but it didn't matter. I couldn't join them anyway; it always ended before I could make my first step, so all I could do was stand there and watch. Only my darling Pixie made that effort to spot me standing in the grass. Standing at the border, far from the ocean; far from the coast; far from the sands; far from them.
What I hate about it most, however, was not the beach, nor the feelings that I underwent in that place.
What I hate about it was the fact that it kept coming back.
Over and over and over and over and over and over and over again.
As if it was trying to tell me something, only for it all to get lost in translation. As if it held some sort of cryptic meaning. As if it mattered more than I believed it does. It craved attention, and with how reluctant I was at giving it away, it tried to make up to it by presenting itself again, by putting me back in that precarious position that I had never wanted to be a part of. It tried over and over, expecting me to listen. Expecting me to understand.
It expected change, even though I refused to be a part of it.
Still, we're talking about change here.
If change was a living thing, it would be a draconequus, much like Discord was. Change doesn't expect you to wait for it. Change doesn't request permission from you for it to display its talents. Change doesn't ask you to pick a card; it just picks it for you. Change just does what it wants, not because nothing can stop it, but because it kinda is just what it was: it's change. It happens. To everypony. To my family. To my friends. To me. I've seen it happen countless of times, and you'd think that to see all these changes taking place, one would be attuned to its pattern, but no, you'd be wrong. Change doesn't have pattern. Even if it does, I'm sure the pattern would change as well. Change is fickle as it is swift, and there's nothing I could do about it. Nothing.
It happened to me one day. Change, that is.
Had I listened to that nightmare just once, I would've seen it coming.
Mornings were once something I looked forward to.
Waking up in the safe comfort of my bed in my house in Ponyville, which was a large place at the edge of town, almost like how Rarity's was, my little Button would be lying next to me— that was the best pet name I could come up for him! Seriously, it's already perfect the way it is! There's the occasional 'lovely mashed potato', but I didn't really use that anymore. I know he can be a little softie at times, but my husband? Comparing that big, lovable buffoon of a teddy bear to some mashed up pieces of goop? Eeesh.
Anyways, Button Mash would be next to me. Sometimes, he would still be sleeping; sometimes, I would wake up to find him pampering me with sweet talk — he's pretty good at that — and a good morning kiss. After that, when I head out of my room, I would find Chipper and Quicksilver fooling around the house, perhaps running around the living room or having a small pillow fight that I have to break off again, whereas my little Pixie would be doing something quieter in her room or at some corner somewhere, coming out from hiding only when I call out for her. After that, Button would cook a warm and fulfilling breakfast for all of us and we would have a chat over pancakes, hay sandwiches and a cup of tea.
That was how most of my mornings would go.
Then it happened. Change, that is.
I woke up in the safe comfort of my bed once again, in the warmth of white, linen bedsheets with a soft pillow tucked underneath my head. A small gale rushed across the room, the sheets I had been gripping onto billowing about, threatening to break free and fly out the window. Through the fuzziness of my hearing returning back to me, I heard a strange growing rumble, then a distant crash, that last sound reminding me of the times I toppled over Rarity's mannequins when I was a filly. My sight was also hastily coming back to me, the sunlight of today almost blinding me when I tried to open my eyes. When the blur of fatigue finally vanished and my vision was crystal clear, however, my heart stopped.
The sky was pink.
The sky. Was. Pink.
It was pink! Like, flamingo pink! It was as pink as Aunt Pinkie Pie was! It... I don't know how to explain it, I just... okay, it still had the same white clouds that a blue sky would have, but instead of blue, it was just... pink! Sky! Pink! I didn't even bother with the rumbling and consecutive crashing sound echoing in my head. Heck, who would? I couldn't even tear my eyes away from the pink sky, not until my hooves stepped off the bed, searched for the ground and sank into the grainy confines of sand–
Wait, sand?!
My neck snapped downwards to my hooves. Sand. I was standing in sand. With a gasp, I stumbled backwards, scrambling about for balance before I fell back onto my bed. Why was there sand in my bedroom?! Who put all this sand here? Whose idea was it? No, no, whose prank was it? Chipper? Quicksilver? Button? All of them? Neither of them? By Celestia, how did they even find all this sand to put in my bedroom—
Wait.
Wait a minute, just...
I'm not in my bedroom, am I? No, no, this can't be my bedroom! This was definitely not my bedroom! My bedroom had a ceiling! My bedroom had a roof! My bedroom had a lovely, carpeted, proper floor! I remembered going to sleep with a roof on top of my head and without a grain of sand in sight! But this... this was definitely my bed, standing in a place that's definitely not my bedroom. No, in fact, this looked a little more like...
A slow rumble, then a crash, before it finally dawned on me.
"The beach!"
I didn't even realized I screamed that. Immediately, I looked over the back of my bed where the wall should be. Instead of the wall, however, I was met with the large expanse of the ocean. Large white waves thrashed themselves against the shoreline, accented with sprays of saltwater that sprinkled across my face, which I quickly shielded with my hoof. The wind was blowing stronger now, my long mane tossing about wildly as it danced over my eyes. I had to squint to make out the color of the water and — thank Celestia and Luna — it was blue! Not pink. Blue. Oceans are blue. Water's blue. I'm looking at blue. Good. Great. I sighed in relief, looking at it again, watching as it ambled up along the coastline and scurry between the legs of my bed, nearly soaking into the mattress.
Now that I have a closer look, however, it seemed a little too blue.
Speaking of my bed, it was stuck on the shoreline: its legs had sunken impossibly deep into the sand, never budging however strong the waves can be, as if it had grown out of the beach itself. Quickly, I shuffled out of from its sheets, my hooves splashing in the water as I waded onto dry land. I trudged across the sandy dunes, mentally panting from the sudden change I was thrust into. Question after question bombarded me as I made my way to land, the weight of it all prompting me to do nothing else than to just flop myself down onto the sands and air it all out. Slowly, I laid my head down, my mane sieving through the grains as I gazed up into the endless pink above me, my jumbled thoughts rearranging themselves before the first coherent one came into mind.
"I'm at the beach..." I muttered it aloud.
Not only that: this was the beach. A little weird with the color scheme, but this was the very same beach I had always found myself standing in my dreams, so that crosses out the 'where am I' part of this whole fiasco. Secondly, it's not a dream, I knew that much. The sand grains tossed up by the wind that were pricking the back of my neck felt real enough, which meant this wasn't a dream, despite this place looking exactly like the same beach I had in my dream! Confusing, I know, but it's just... I've seen it so many times that there's no way I could be wrong about that, yet when I think long and hard, it doesn't make sense.
How could the beach I've always dreamed about be actually a real place?
More importantly, how did I even get here anyway?
I glanced back at my bed, still sturdy against the rising tides. Whatever happened to me that got me here must've happened in the middle of the night, I figured. I remember yesterday morning, humdrum as it may be. I remembered being at the studio for a session. I remembered Button making the best waffles he had ever made for dinner. I remember putting the kids to sleep and... no... wait...
I remembered, in the dead of the night, the doorbell ringing.
I remembered peeking out from behind the curtains to see who it was.
More importantly, I remembered the glorious feeling of being refreshed.
For what could be more refreshing than to see the face of an old friend?
"I think I'll never get used to this."
"To what, AB?"
"That my two friends are super famous ponies?"
"Apple Bloom, we're friends first, remember?" I remembered myself saying. "Sure, I might go to Canterlot every now and then. Scootaloo, she's... well, she's everywhere, you know? Being a Wonderbolt and all. Still, that doesn't mean I'll ever leave you behind. I'm sure if she's here, Scootaloo will say the same thing too."
Apple Bloom paid me a visit last night. Said she wanted to have a chat, like how we used to at the clubhouse sometimes when we're not busy getting our Cutie Marks. Of course, I invited her in, poured the two of us some tea and we had a little talk over the dining table, mostly catching up and just reminiscing about the good old days. We never had the time to see each other recently, so I knew how disappointed she would be if I said no. All the meetings we tried to have before this usually began with me needing to leave because of some interview somewhere that my manager suddenly arranged. If it's not me, then it's probably Scootaloo being called off because the Wonderbolts suddenly needed a replacement or something along those lines. You can imagine how frustrating it is for all of us then, especially for Apple Bloom.
I didn't want to admit it, but we've been drifting a little further apart lately, the three of us. It's kinda expected when you think about it: Apple Bloom's working on the farm at Sweet Apple Acres alongside Big Mac and Applejack, Scootaloo's travelling around the globe performing with the Wonderbolts and I'm building my singing career in Canterlot. Whenever one of us — mainly Apple Bloom — tried to arrange a meetup, it always clashed with our schedules. We never had a successful meeting with all three of us so far, maybe for... close to a year, I think. Ten months or so. I'd occasionally see them around town — Apple Bloom more often than Scootaloo — though these days, we'd never made it farther than a single 'hello'.
It was worrying me.
How we could be everywhere, but we could never, ever be together, like how we always were back in the day.
"I don't know about Scootaloo," Apple Bloom confessed. "The whole time, even when they're not doing their air shows, she's just been hanging out with the Wonderbolts. It's like..."
No, Apple Bloom, don't say it.
"It's like we're not her friends anymore."
"I'm sure it's not like that, Apple Bloom," I laughed it off, though I'm sure even Apple Bloom knew I felt the same. "I mean, maybe they're just planning the formations for their next air show or something. Scootaloo told me about something like that once. Or maybe she just wants a little rest! Yeah, that's it! She might want a short break after performing all day and night—"
"You don't get it, Sweetie Belle."
"Wh-What?"
"You don't get it. You just don't," The stare Apple Bloom wielded was frigid. "Every time I checked with you girls, every time I thought we had everything handled, every time I thought we could finally have a old, proper chat, one of you would always..." she paused for a shiver. "One of you would always have something more important to do."
"It's... it's just... it's not like we wanted that to happen, Apple Bloom. You know how it is for us, right?"
"You always say that."
I tensed at what she said, coiling back. Apple Bloom was avoiding my gaze on purpose, refusing to explain herself. The two of us stood there, fidgeting with our hooves, before I cleared my throat.
"Say what?"
"That."
"You want to explain what 'that' is?"
"You know what it is."
"No, I don't."
"You do."
"Apple Bloom, I really don't—"
"I don't matter to you girls anymore."
My jaw began to fall before I caught it just in time. "H-How could you say that?" I almost yelled. "What do you mean you don't matter to us? You think I don't care that we weren't seeing each other often anymore? You think that just because I'm singing on some stage somewhere or Scootaloo was performing in an air show, it meant that we didn't want to see you? That we didn't care about you at all? You think we're that heartless to just throw you aside, to treat all those years we spent together like nothing? You think we're like that?"
Apple Bloom didn't say anything, still refusing to look at me.
"Y-You're really thinking that, aren't you?" I stuttered, agape. "How dare you... how dare you..."
That was the last straw for me.
It was for her as well.
I couldn't remember what happened after that.
All I could faintly recall was that Apple Bloom erupted, telling me off with all the bluntness of an Apple whereas I tried defending myself. I didn't remember the exact words, but it got pretty bad fast. Both of us started saying things we didn't want to say. Both of us were hurting each other, cutting each other really deep with the things we were saying. Both of us began yelling them out louder and louder, to the point where our throats were sore and our eyes were watering. It was torture for both of us, and yet we kept doing it. We kept on doing it. We kept on doing it.
By the time we were done, Apple Bloom stormed out of the house, the slam of the door resounding throughout the household and echoing in my head. I didn't know how long I sat there, on my sofa, hooves. The only thing I was worried about for a while there was that the children might wake up from her exit. I was about to head upstairs to check on them when I felt a tear trickling down my cheeks.
"Apple Bloom..." I muttered my friend's name as everything I've just been through rushed back into me. "Oh Celestia, what have I done..."
"Sweetie? You okay?"
"B-Button!" I gasped, immediately wiping away my tears to see my husband standing before me, rubbing his eyes. How long had he been standing there? How long was he awake? Has he been awake through the entire argument? He definitely was, wasn't he? He probably heard all the things I've said, all the things she said, all the details of everything and—
"You okay, Sweetie Belle?"
My head stopped its yapping, all manner of focus stuck onto my husband. Without ever talking, he gave me this smile, this sad smile of his, before I found his hoof on my shoulder. I don't know how long we were there, him just smiling and me just staring, waiting for forever to come and leave. When it finally did, however, I couldn't take it.
I just broke down on the spot, crying like a small filly while Button held me close. I didn't know how long I cried either, I just... let it all out, I guess. It wasn't like I was drowning in my tears or anything, but... but it just hurts, you know? It hurts. Sure, I could tell you everything about how it ripped me in two or how my heart was all misery and sobs, but that's all just pretentious trash.
You really want to know how I feel?
Fine! I'll tell you how I feel.
I might've just lost a friend.
That's how bad it hurt. That's how bad it stung me. That's how this whole thing went about and if you don't understand, you're probably as heartless and sickening as Prince Blueblood might be. I just went through a horrible argument with Apple Bloom, a friend that I've had since I was a foal, a friend that I promised to stick by for the rest of our days, over that same, stupid promise we made. After that, she slammed the door. She shamelessly slammed the door. Neither of us apologized, neither of us understood what was going on, it was all blast after verbal blast of rage that ended with me being angry, confused, anxious, frustrated and... just lost.
It was pathetic, what we had become.
I was pathetic.
"What if," I sniffled midway. "What if she— if Apple Bloom... what if Apple Bloom w-was right? What if... if I never really... if I-I—"
"Don't say that. Don't you ever say that, Sweetie Belle," Button scolded me. "You both said things you shouldn't have, that's it. That's what happened. You didn't lose a friend, you didn't ruin a friendship, you didn't do anything wrong and Apple Bloom didn't too. So please, Sweetie, look at me. Please."
I mustered up enough confidence to do as he pleaded. What I saw was the sadness in his eyes. It was the same one in his smile, but this time, I could see what he was really trying to tell me. He was worried about me. I knew he would be, but I didn't know how worried he really was. He was begging for me to calm down, to clear my head. That itself made me worried, not about the argument; I'll worry about that later.
I'm much more worried that I'm hurting him as well.
Button was that kind of a husband, in that he's pretty sensitive when it comes to family. You might not expect him being that if you knew about his aggressive video game habits when he was a young colt— yelling at the television and throwing his controllers wasn't close to sensitive at all. Matter of fact, I didn't expect that from him either, but I kinda pieced things together when I included his mother in the equation.
Anyways, my little Button, the family stallion, was that husband whose always worried about his pop singer of a wife. It started some time ago, when some stupid rumor involving me got into the press and there was this large scandal that turned me into a target. I was really, really hurt back then and Button... he did everything he could just to keep me going. He went through the same things I went through. He'd look strong for me, even though we both knew how it was affecting him as well. He was there by my side while I was lost, all the way until I could get back up again. There were naysayers that got to him as well, but he just brushed them off. He was as upset as I was and I always felt guilty about it. I tried apologizing after all that stuff happened but he would have none of it, saying he'd rather leave that behind and just move on, and that it wasn't my fault. That was when I really knew how protective and supportive he was of me.
Scootaloo would say he's kinda dumb for punching himself in the gut over that.
I'd say that's what made me love him even more.
I made a promise to myself after that incident: that I'll never see Button hurt again.
With that in mind, I held up a grin for him. I couldn't thank all four princesses enough that he was by my side once more, but I knew I had to be strong for him as well. Wiping my tears away, I followed him upstairs, washed up and finally headed to bed. He was hugging me tighter than before, but I'm not complaining. Button was there by my side, as I know he always will be.
That's when I realized something else.
I was alone.
I was alone.
"Button?" I called out, quietly at first, while hastily looking around. "Button? Button, you there?"
The beach was deserted.
"Button?! Button, please answer me!" I yelled, sweat beginning its frantic journey down my forehead "Chipper?! Quicksilver?! P-Pixie!! Pixie, where are you?!"
I started galloping across the sands.
"R-Rarity?! Spike?! Scootaloo?! A... A-Apple Bloom? Please, if you're out there!! If—"
I was alone.
"Princess Luna?! Princess Luna, if this is a nightmare... if this is a nightmare, I don't wanna be here anymore!! Wake me up!! Please, let me wake up!!"
I was truly alone.
"Button, please!!" I cried with the last of my wasted breath, collapsing into the sand. "Please... don't leave me alone..."
I didn't know how long I stayed at the beach. I didn't want to know either. I mean, thinking back, starting off what would be the expedition of my life wallowing in saltwater and sand was kinda stupid. I knew though that I wallowed there long enough for the pink sky to turn purple. The sun was already setting in the horizon when I had the strength and sense to look up, before I realized something else.
It was the strangest sun I had ever seen.
Don't get me wrong, there wasn't anything different about it. It still looked a little yellow. It was definitely round. In fact, if I compared this sun to Equestria's sun, not even Princess Celestia would be able to tell the difference. It was a big, glowing ball of pale yellow, radiating light and heat throughout this strange world that I'm in, much like our sun in Equestria.
What bothered me wasn't how the sun looked like.
What bothered me was that I could stare at it.
I could stare at it for minutes. I could stare at it for hours. I could stare at it for days, weeks, months, years, for no one in all of Equestria knows how long. I could stare at it like I could watch paint dry, or maybe even paint a miniature sun out of it myself. I could keep on looking until the world ends and I wouldn't even know it.
What bothered me was that I didn't find the need to blink.
What bothered me was that the light wasn't hurting my eyes.
What is this place?
"What would Button do?" I asked myself. My husband has a penchant for video games, especially those that sends him off into a fascinating adventure. Sometimes, Chipper, Quicksilver and even I would join him on his conquests; Pixie, not so much. I didn't mind him playing games, even at the age he's at. I'm making enough money for us and our clones, if we had any, so Button and I weren't worried about him not actually working. He could play his games whenever he want, as long as he gets the groceries, send the kids to school, you know the drill.
If Button were here, he'd knew what to do already. He was the one who knew where to get some sword from some old, mad hermit who would say how dangerous it was outside his cave; he was the one that decided whether it was a great idea to blow up Megaton or not; he was the one who told me about not mining for diamonds in caves at night. He knew what to do in all those other worlds, so it isn't a far stretch to say he would know what to do in this world.
"What would Button do... come on, Sweetie Belle, think!"
The answer hit me like a sack of apples.
Look for civilization, of course!
Quickly, I trekked up the sandy slope, just as the sky started turning into a dark shade of blue. Night was closing in and who knows what strange creatures living in this world might be roaming around out there. I'm not that eager to find out just yet, not without knowing what I might be facing. Clambering upwards, kicking away piles of falling sand beneath my hooves, I found myself cantering into a patch of tall grass, before I take a moment to look at the landscape before me.
It was a valley of green. A wide valley cutting through two rows of large mountains that seemed to reach the end of the universe. I would add that it was flat too, but not completely, for there was a single lump of a hill. On that hill, to my uttermost relief, was what looked like the remains of a castle. It was tall, almost as tall as the mountains flanking the valley, with three towers, each one varying in height, the highest of which had a collapsed roof and the lowest had its top completely lost. Still, some sections seemed intact and fit for a night's stay at least. There wasn't any light coming from any of the windows, however; no light means no ponies (or whatever the inhabitants of these world were) which meant no civilization.
Still, I wouldn't pass up the opportunity to have a place of shelter.
I hastily galloped across the valley to my destination, warily looking around just in case anything tries to jump out at me. Surprisingly enough, it was a safe journey, albeit a long one. By the time I reached the looming pair of doors, I was panting madly, my hooves aching and shivering from the marathon I just ran. Feverishly, I put my horn to work, grabbing one of the brass knockers and giving it a powerful heave before one of the doors began to budge with a loud, booming groan.
Slipping through the niche I made, I heftily shut the door behind me, the resounding boom of success that came with it prompting my hooves to give way under me, collapsing onto the granite floor in the darkness. Summoning a fizzling orb of light with my horn, I looked around the large chamber I was in, hoping to find any trace of life in this world we're living in.
"Hello?" I called out into the emptiness. "Is anyone there?"
What my light brought forth was a derelict throne room, its roof held up by large, fluted stone pillars. Dust filled the air, the cascading specks dancing before my horn. All the remained of the decorations were two tattered banners with faded emblems hanging from the ceiling, a worn out red carpet that served as a path and, of course, the throne itself. It wasn't intricately decorated or majestic like Princess Celestia's throne or anything. It was just a plain wooden one, decorated only with a few simple triangles surrounding a square indent in the center.
I raised my light higher, trying to get a glimpse of anything else, but all I found was these arches growing out from the pillars up towards the ceiling. Venturing deeper, I entered one of the small doorways hidden at the back of the throne room, before climbing a set of spiral steps leading up to the next floor, warily looking around for any shadows that might be scurrying about. Like the throne room, the hallway was carpeted, the left side filled with arched, glassless windows that gave me a glance of the outside world. On my right were doors with iron decorative hinges leading to different rooms, some swinging ajar, some bolted shut and never to be opened again. Some of them even lead out into a long fall which will only be cushioned by a collapsed pile of stone and slate. There were other interesting rooms here, however: there was what Twilight would call a makeshift laboratory and a dried-out bathhouse. Still, however curious I may be about this world, it was too dark and I was too tired to be exploring them. Maybe after a good night's rest, I promised.
Finally, after trying one of the last doors, I found myself in what's left of a bedroom. It belonged to a young filly, as there were straw dolls lined up on the side of the bed and a rocking horse gently teetering to and fro from the draught I brought in. The bed was right next to the window, with translucent curtain sheets fluttering in the nocturnal wind. It was smaller than mine, but at least it was somewhere safe and comfortable and not stuck on a stupid beach.
I tucked myself in, sighing as I finally found a place to lay my head. I picked up one of the straw dolls, stifling a smile at the button eyes and stitched smile. It looked crudely made compared to our dolls in Equestria, but its owner must really like it a lot. I could imagine a filly as young as Pixie having a tea party with all her other dolls—
"Pixie..."
I choked on a sob, hugging the doll tighter to my chest. Pixie must be really worried about me not coming back. Always had been. Button was always saying how she didn't want to sleep and waited for me to come home every time I had a night-hour session at the studio. She would be waiting at the front door right now, I swear on my horn. Waiting ever patiently for her mother to come back.
"I'm sorry," I squeaked, trying not to sniffle. "P-Pixie, I'm so sorry..."
She'd be waiting for me, for her mother, to walk through that door.
She'd be waiting, because she believed I would always come back.
She'd be waiting for nothing.
"I'm... I'm sorry, Pixie..."
Succumbing to my overflowing emotions, all I could do was curl up and sob.
When I came to, it was already morning.
I had cried myself to sleep, my cheeks still sticky from dried tears. The straw doll I had been hugging had its entire life squeezed out, its button eyes bulged out and shrieking at my utter betrayal. Giving an apology to my first companion (sorta) in this strange place, I glanced out of the window, brushing the sheets aside and listening to the calming crashes of distant waves as the comforting sunlight met my eyes. Imagine my surprise and fascination when I spotted what seemed to be something hovering in the distance, barely visible over the mountain. Maybe I could get a better look at it from a higher place, I told myself, drawing my gaze at presumably the safest of the three towers, still standing despite having a part of the wall blasted off, leaving a silhouette of a giraffe with a gaping maw in the mysterious glow of the sun. Staring into it filled me with a strange, comforting warmth. It might just be me then, but it felt like Princess Celestia was watching over me, assuring me that I'm not alone. It was right, in a way; this castle in the middle of nowhere must be built by somepony or something, right?
"What would Button do?"
I decided to start off by searching the rooms that I had discovered last night. Some of them turned out to be duds, emptied out and only useful for collecting dust. Even the interesting rooms had been cleared out of anything useful: the laboratory only had empty flasks and broken glass all over the floor, and the bathhouse, drained free of water, had nothing either. I shouldn't be surprised, knowing how abandoned this place was. Still, I was hoping for something more.
The third and highest floor (or what's left of it) had more empty rooms to spare for me, which left only that one tower for me to explore. Climbing up the ascending spiral of steps and entering the room, my expectations were completely blown out the window when, right before me, beside the gaping opening that gave a pleasant view of the outside world, stood a large, dusty rectangular screen with a silver frame, like some sort of gigantic television or something. From behind it, large bundles of wires snaked out in different directions, trailing about the room and twisting in and out, gradually diminishing until a single, thick wire lead to this hexagonal panel on the floor.
"That must be the activation mechanism," I mused out loud, warily stepping forward. "Well then, Sweetie Belle. Here goes nothing..."
Without anything more to lose, I stepped onto the panel.
A humming sound blew out clouds of dust from two round megaphones behind me, both almost as large as the screen, before the panel beneath my hooves lit up with a glaring light. Immediately, I shielded my eyes as a sheet of white burst from below, hearing digital clicks and pops coming from all sides. The humming grew louder and louder, shaking the whole room, until finally, as the light dimmed away and retreated back into the panel, all the sounds died down. The screen before me lit up, containing only a single word in neon green.
.
.
Before I could wrap my head around whatever that word meant, the screen flickered, turned black and a bunch of words began scrawling across the screen.
.
Booting Pinscherfins Model E2072A-11205A. Please wait...
ERROR## *Damaged battery. Proceed to [REDACTED] *Corrupt files ~ Flushing in process --- [OK] Configurations complete. Currently running in Stable Mode (frame%20Euripides).
.
.
State username
.
"Sweetie Belle," I shouted my answer, not knowing how it was gonna hear that.
.
User: Sweetie Belle Running automated system settings: Type F UNLOCK ACCESS to
Surprised at how this machine got my name on the nose, I watched as the words on the screen scrolled, the humming starting up again, slightly softer this time. I waited for a moment, staring at the screen as it flickered and fizzled. With an impatient sigh, I turned my gaze towards the gaping hole in the wall and was treated to a strange sight.
Remember that thing I could barely see over the mountains? I spotted it again, this time not obstructed at all. To my surprise, they were clusters of humongous white floating stones, some polygonal with sharp edges, some looking like any ordinary stone in Equestria. All of them had some strange markings on them, glowing as each stone rose up and dissipating as it comes rushing down with a distant bang, nearly drowned out by the crashing waves of the beach. I was so taken in by the strange sight that I nearly fell off my hooves when a voice broke out in the room.
"Welcome, Miss."
"Bwahh~!" I cried, whirling back to the screen. On it was a pixellated image of a green sphere, hovering in mid-air and spinning around for eternity with a digital sheen on its curves. That voice, however... it sounds strangely familiar, though I couldn't quite pinpoint it to where I heard it from. "W-Who are you?"
"I am the Pence Modulum, a program that assists users with the Spiderweb. I am designed to ensure that all users who access the Spiderweb will have a fulfilling experience and provide all requested information available and stored within the Spiderweb clearly and concisely, leaving no room for error."
Some part of me doubted that last promise. Still, what she said raised more questions than answers.
"What is the Spiderweb?" I asked.
"The Spiderweb is a database of information compiled from varied sources of non-fiction works, made accessible to all beings in different formats. The creator of the Spiderweb believes that information should be free and available to all forms of life. It is from this idealogy that this database was created."
So this program, the Spiderweb, was some sort of digital library. Before I could muse over that thought, I was suddenly hit by a revelation: I remembered where I've heard the voice before! It sounded exactly like Princess Celestia! Of course, it was a little more robotic and glitchy than her usual calm and regal self, but there was no doubt it was her, I swear.
"Do you know anything about Equestria?" I asked, hoping for some information. With Princess Celestia's voice programmed into a computer, some part of me was hoping, or dreading, that the world I'm standing in was actually Equestria itself. Maybe it was an alternate dimension where the sky is pink, or maybe it was Equestria in the distant future. I didn't want it to be either, but right now, I need answers.
"Information not found."
"What?" I gawked, wide-eyed. "What do you mean, not found?"
"The information you have requested does not exist."
"What do you mean, it doesn't exist?" I yelled, getting no response. "Don't you know anything about Princess Celestia?"
"Information not found."
"She's, wha— but you— ugh! You have her voice! Her voice!!" I cried. "You're using her voice, you... you... thing!"
"I do not understand that request. Please rephrase or ask another question."
"AArrrrrrgh!!"
Trust me, that wouldn't be the first time I was yelling at a screen.
It just doesn't make any sense! None of it does! The program was clearly using Princess Celestia's voice, so why wouldn't it know about Princess Celestia, or Equestria, for that matter? I was angry and frustrated at everything, but my sound mind calmed me down as another thought drifted into my head: maybe I was jumping to conclusions. After all, I don't know for sure that I might even be in Equestria.
"Where am I?" I asked, wanting to get that out of the way.
"You are in the Castle of the Wrested Mesa, built by a noble in the third quadrant of the 172nd Orbit—"
"No, not that!" I interrupted, rephrasing my question. "What is this place, as in, this... world that I'm in?"
"The World."
"Sorry?"
"The World. You are currently in the World."
I just stared at the spinning orb on the screen for a while, a little dumbfounded.
"So it's just called... the World?"
"Correct."
Whoever came up with that stupid name must have the most creative brain ever.
"Okay... so this World," I began to ask. "Can you tell me a little bit about this place?"
A small hum, before it began its explanation.
"The World is a land of curiosities, many undiscovered with a grand portion of it uncharted and yet to be explored. All known lands of the World are under the governance of the All-Fairest Queen, who had been ruling the World since the medial tierce, first quadrant of the 69th Orbit. Citizens of the World come in all different shapes and sizes, mostly from conditioned customization to the unpredictable geopolitics of the World, where different sections of land exhibits different forms of behavior due to varying phenomena. This is especially so for the ecosystem, as from these conditions came a diverse amount of flora and fauna of different species. Cases of extreme phenomena ushered in the birth of entities and anomalies, most of which are still being studied."
There were so many questions that I wanted to ask — why was the sky pink, how did I get here, how can I go back, why was my bed stuck in the middle of a beach and so on — but before I could, I saw an icon blinking on the upper right corner of the screen, screaming to me that it was running out of power.
"Alright, alright, think..." I muttered to myself. The computer mentioned something about a queen. Maybe she can help me understand whatever the heck that is going on? With that in mind, I quickly asked: "Where is the queen?"
"The All-Fairest Queen lives in her castle, situated on the Lacuna Islet. The fastest available mode of transportation to the Lacuna Islet is through the system of the Pence Waypoints."
"The what now?"
"The Pence Waypoint is a device of transportation developed by our creator, with the intent of fast and secure travel through the means of teleportation from one waypoint to another. It comes in the shape of a hexagonal platform that emits light, allowing users to be instantly brought to a waypoint of their choosing."
I looked down at the hexagonal panel below my hooves.
"You mean this thing?"
"Correct."
Well, that was convenient, though I played enough video games (a lady has to take a break from her matters once in a while and indulge in her hobbies) to know that it might be a little too convenient. However, maybe it wouldn't hurt to give it a go. "Please bring me to the Queen's castle," I ordered.
"Calculating..." the voice clicked, the humming and whirring growing louder before stopping once more. "Error. Insufficient power."
"Shoot," I groused. Just as I thought: too convenient. Still, there might be a way to get a little closer to the castle. "Where's the closest waypoint I can travel to?"
"Calculating..." it said again, the humming returning and leaving once more. "According to the system, the only available waypoint to travel to is located at the Floating Monuments of Keppen III, which is currently situated northwest of your current position."
I drew my gaze to the large hole in the wall, back to the stones in the distance.
"You mean those stones over there?" I asked, wanting to make sure. "The ones that rise up, glow and just fall back to the ground?"
"Correct."
That wasn't really far at all. In fact, judging from the distance, it would take me two or three hours for me to trot all the way there. Then again, a shortcut is still a shortcut, however short the journey may be. Plus, I'd rather make it there standing on all four hooves instead of dragging my dead tired body there.
I clung onto the last bit of hope I had. Within it were the thoughts of seeing my family and friends again. Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, my sister Rarity, my little Button Mash, my sons Chipper and Quicksilver, and my lovely daughter Pixie... all their smiling faces rushed through my head. Some part of me said that I might never see them again, but I thought otherwise. I wasn't about to give up just yet, not until I was sure that there was really no way of going back at all. There are always ways around things; you just have to look really, really hard for them. And I'll definitely be looking for them, in this world or another.
I have to go back to them, I just have to.
"Please bring me to the Floating Monuments," I ordered.
"Waypoint affirmed. Please wait..."
Once again, the light that surrounded me earlier blasted out from the panel below me. Closing my eyes, I felt myself dissipating, piece by piece of me painlessly taken apart like a jigsaw puzzle as the whiteness engulfed me. With that first decision, my journey in this strange new world began. It would prove to be a long journey, where I met the strangest sights and the wondrous spectacles; where I forged many new friendships and discovered many secrets; where I learned not only about this strange place I was in, but also a little bit about myself.
My first step into the World had been made; I, Sweetie Belle, had announced my arrival.
Not knowing what zany and dangerous surprises that this strange place had in store for me.
